The Fat Sandwich Was Invented Here In New Jersey, And You Can Grab One From RU Hungry In New Brunswick

If you attended or visited Rutgers University, chances are high that you were taken to dine at one of the Grease Trucks on campus. These famous no-frills food trucks are where one of the most iconic sandwiches in the country was invented. Fat Sandwiches are a true foodie icon here in NJ.

The Grease Trucks, pictured below, were one of the most iconic landmarks at Rutgers University for years.

They got their start in the 1980s, and at the time, they parked throughout campus. The University sent them to a large parking lot in the 1990s, with plans to create a dining courtyard. Those plans never quite came to fruition, and the food trucks parked outside of Scott Hall and stayed open late into the night until they were dispersed by University Policy in 2013. Students who were studying late (or out partying) would stop by on their way to their College Avenue campus dorms or apartments and pick up the kind of greasy fried food that tastes best at 2 a.m.

In the late 2010s, the Grease Trucks were moved to make room for a construction project called The Yard.

While many of the food vendors and students were upset about this, the one silver lining is that the most famous Grease Truck - and the inventor of the Fat Sandwich - got a true storefront on the Yard's main square.

RU Hungry is the place where the Grease Trucks' already legendary status began to evolve. After all, it was here that the famous Fat Sandwich was invented!

The story goes that a student named Darrell was broke and hungry, and asked the Grease Truck to put a whole bunch of fried items on one sandwich for him, thus creating the Fat Darrell. The real story is that Fat Sandwiches had been popular at Grease Trucks since the 1980s when they served the "Fat Cat". The Fat Cat Sandwich was a double cheeseburger topped with fries, lettuce tomato, and condiments. The Fat Moon was created around the same time, and that one was a chicken finger, bacon, egg, and french fry combo. A few other variations existed and changed throughout the years, but the Fat Darrell relaunched the Fat Sandwich craze altogether.

The Fat Darrell sandwich found national attention in August 2004, when Maxim Magazine named it the top sandwich in the nation. From there, the reputation grew, and soon nearly everyone was stopping by the Grease Trucks to try, well, a little bit of everything!

The Fat Darrell is a stack of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, French fries, and marinara sauce on a hoagie roll, and it's the most popular item at the Grease Truck restaurants today.

It's easy to see the appeal of a Fat Sandwich. If you wanted all of these items at a restaurant, you would have to order them as sides, and the prices add up.

With everything on one sandwich, the prices are lower, and hungry, broke students can afford all their favorite indulgences.

One thing is for certain, though - these Fat Sandwiches are heavy. While some students can chow down on them night after night, most people who enjoy them only have them on occasion.

After all, they don't call them the Grease Trucks for nothin'!

Take a look at the RU Hungry menu and decide if any of the Fat Sandwiches call your name. Then, give GrubHub a call, and enjoy a big 'ole Fat Sandwich in the comfort of your home. Where do you go for the best sandwiches in New Jersey?

If you love food trucks (and craft beer), you'll love this foodie festival in New Jersey:

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/new-jersey/unique-food-festival-nj/

If you are cruising the streets at Rutgers looking for an R U Hungry truck you'll need to speak the lingo: